Is your car a mechanical cry-baby with more breakdowns than other cars? Sometimes it isn’t the car that’s the problem – it’s the parts! Here’s our helpful list of car parts that wear and tear faster and more frequently than others.
Battery
If your car continues to stall and no longer responds to “come on, baby, please!” – it’s not that there’s no longer chemistry between you. It’s probably just the battery. Acid stratification and low charge are the most common causes of battery failure. To keep the sparks flying between you and your car never leave the lights and air conditioner running when the vehicle is off. If you do, take a trip that will allow the battery to charge fully. Another way to maintain the chemistry is to replace the battery every four to five years and sporadically check it for dirty terminals, damaged cables, and other defects.
Brake Pads & Rotors
Other parts that can stop your love affair with your car are the brake pads and rotors. Depending on how hard you push them and your vehicle's weight class, they usually wear out after three to five years, or around approximately the 50 000-kilometre mark.
Rotors work pad in pad with your breaks and can wear down over time as well. These car parts prevent the brake system from overheating.
Cambelt
You’ve heard the saying “timing is everything”. Well, mistiming the replacement of your car’s cambelt can lead to your car’s untimely demise. Your vehicle's most important maintenance item is the engine's Cambelt (also known as a Timing Belt). A Cambelt is often ribbed and is placed in the car's engine to keep the camshaft and crank timed as they should be.
Spark Plugs
Performance problems lead to emotional and physical breakdowns from the boardroom to the bedroom and all the way to your car. Keep your spark plugs sparkling to avoid the vehicle not starting when you turn the key, slow acceleration, rough idling, and misfiring or surging of the engine.
Replace them roughly every 40 000 km, though the actual lifespan depends on the type of spark plugs and your driving style.
Light Bulbs
Don’t take the load-shedding with you everywhere you go – ensure your car doesn’t go without lights! Brake lights, turn signals, taillights, and other small external lights fail more frequently than headlights. Inspect your lights regularly to ensure that they are always working.
Suspension
Avoid the suspense of wondering if your car will make it over every hump you bump into by ensuring that your shocks are not in a shocking condition and the struts keep strutting their stuff. The suspension helps you avoid a bumpy ride until about 80 000 km into your journey and further.
Fuel Pump
Your car gets you to where you need to; well, your fuel pump is to your vehicle what your vehicle is to you – in that it makes sure the gasoline can get to where it needs to go for your car to move. Replace it after every 95 000-kilometre mark.
Fuses
You and your car don’t have such a strong connection anymore? Well, it could be the fuses. Your car’s electrical system depends on reliable fuses. Check your car’s fuses now and again if you don't want a dashboard full of dead lights, flickering interior lights, malfunctioning windshield wipers, and other issues.
Yip, there’s a lot that could go wrong with your car and its parts! While proper services and maintenance can save you a lot of misery, some breakdowns are completely unexpected. Luckily for you, we’ve got these unexpected breakdowns covered by our MotorXtender Warranty. Whether it's a breakdown, meltdown, or burnout – we’ve got a warranty.
